Stop Working. It'll Be the Most Productive Thing You Do This Week

It's the day after Christmas, and whether you've had a festive celebration or enjoyed a quiet day, this episode is your reminder to take a breather and savor some well-deserved downtime.

This week isn't about the to-do lists or the goals you set for the future. It's about reconnecting with who you are as a person, separate from your role as a worker, an employee, or an entrepreneur.

Engage with the world outside of work. Spend time with family, go outdoors, and make the end of the year memorable for reasons beyond what you've achieved professionally.

As we bid adieu to 2023 and eagerly await 2024, let's make the most of this week. It's not solely about accomplishments but reconnecting with ourselves.

See you refreshed and recharged in January!

Specifically, this episode highlights the following themes:

• The value of intentional rest and reflection
• Finding balance between professional drive and personal well-being
• How taking a break can spark innovation

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And if you have a guest in mind who you think would be a great fit for this show, drop me a line at hello@honestpodcasts.com. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:25 The challenge of disconnecting from work
• 3:18 Take a break if possible
• 4:14 The importance of disconnecting and reconnecting with self

Transcript

0:00

Well, hi there. This episode of the Honest marketing podcast is going out on December 26, which means if you're listening to this on the day it goes out, we had Christmas yesterday. Now, whether you're celebrating the christian holiday with family or not, the end of the year is always an interesting time for entrepreneurs, marketers, business owners, because the whole world has basically decided that this week is kind of a limbo season. You're either looking forward to 2024 and Q one and trying to hit the ground running there, or you're wanting to take a step back and reflect on how the year went on, what you wish was different, and hopefully get some rest and recharge of rejuvenation. And I know for me personally, if I can just share my own life experience and story with you guys, if that's all right. I always wrestle with that tension of being a naturally goal oriented, achievement driven person that loves to accomplish things, loves to check things off of my to do list and my planner, but also recognizes the value of taking intentional time off to prohibit myself from those normal activities that I engage in professionally. And not just because it's my job, but because I genuinely love to do it. And so if you're like me, this week is going to be hard. It's going to be hard for you to disconnect. It's going to be hard for you to stop thinking about work. It's going to be hard for you to not think about January and February and March and Q one. And how do you just take off like a rocket ship in 2024? Because that's just how I'm wired. I just love to think about work. I love to problem solve. A couple of days ago, I woke up at 03:00 a.m. And my brain turned on and I couldn't go back to sleep. So I ended up just doing some work for four or 5 hours till my kids woke up. And that's just kind of how I'm wired. And so this is a little bit of accountability for me. If you're listening to this, that we interact in real life, you can ask me how this went. But hopefully, too, if you're somebody that struggles with disconnecting from work and feeling okay about that, being okay with being bored, being okay with not achieving anything, quote unquote this week, but just taking some time to rest, reflect, reconsider, spend time with people that you're close to, loved ones, that has value, too. That has value, too. So if you work for somebody and you don't have the whole week off. Your company doesn't give the week between Christmas and New Year's off and you're working. Make it the kind of work that can be restful when everyone else is taking vacation, when everyone else is taking time off. Have this be a time for you to reset emotionally, spiritually, physically, and professionally as you look forward to the next year. But if you do have the week off, or if you run your own company and you set your own hours and you have the flexibility of not working this week, actually take advantage of that. Stop listening to podcasts. Stop listening to my podcast right now. This is your permission. Press pause. Go about your day. Don't worry about trying to continue to progress, or continue to reach goals, or continue to strive this week. And let's make this a special week. A special week where you can actually disconnect, you can actually break out of your normal routine, because it's in those moments where you're intentionally choosing to not work, to not think about work, to not engage with the work that you're engaged with, that the greatest breakthroughs can happen, where you get a fleeting thought that becomes the seed of an idea that can change the trajectory of your life. But those things don't happen if you're stuck in the rat race, if you're stuck on the hamster wheel, always going, always doing, always executing. So this is your permission. Put your phone down, turn it off, put it in another room. Go spend time with your kids, go spend time with your spouse. Go do something fun outside. If it's cold, layer up, but go do something fun outside and make the end of this year a time that is memorable, not because of the things that you achieved, but because it reconnected you with who you really are. Not as a worker, not as an employee, not as an entrepreneur, but as a human being. And that has value in and of itself. 2023 has been a great year, and I look forward to serving you, providing great content here on the podcast, and continuing to journey with you into 2024. I'll see you in January.